Skip to content Where Legends Are Made
Surface Dynamics Modeling Lab Apply to UA Make a Gift

Virtual River Gauging Stations Using Microwave Remote Sensing

Measurements of river discharge and watershed runoff are essential to water resources management, efficient hydropower generation, accurate flood prediction and control, and improved understanding of the global water cycle. Orbital remote sensing can measure river discharge variation in a manner closely analogous to its measurement at ground stations. For international measurements, hydrological modeling can be used to provide the needed calibration of sensor data to discharge. In this project, we utilize the WBMsed model to compile the rating curves needed for calibration of remote sensing signal to discharge.

View poster (pdf)

Brakenridge, G.R., S. Cohen,  A. J. Kettner, T. De Groeve, S. V. Nghiem, J.P.M. Syvitski, and B.M. Fekete (2012), Calibration of satellite measurements of river discharge using a global hydrology model. Journal of Hydrology,  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.09.035 [pdf]

River watch global map
Source: Dartmouth Flood Observatory – River Watch Version 2 (http://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/CriticalAreas/DischargeAccess.html)